


Head Over Heels And We Don't Even Know It

by regretdotjpg



Series: McGenji Week 2018 [3]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: (Oblivious) Idiots In Love, Accidental Flirting, BUT THEY'RE DON'T EVEN KNOW THEY'RE PINING, Flirting, Fluff and Humor, M/M, McGenji Week, McGenji Week 2018, Mutual Pining, Pre-Relationship, Wingman Hanzo, Yeah you read that right, there's a sex joke in this lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-08
Updated: 2018-08-08
Packaged: 2019-06-23 23:30:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15617427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/regretdotjpg/pseuds/regretdotjpg
Summary: Day 4:Old Times//New TimesIn which Recall Overwatch is different in all the right ways, Genji and Jesse are obliviously in love, and Hanzo picks up on it far before they do.aka the one where Jesse and Genji flirt like idiots and Hanzo ends up being a wingman





	Head Over Heels And We Don't Even Know It

 

 ****Recall Overwatch was pretty different from Overwatch before it fell.

 

At least, that was what Jesse McCree thought. He couldn’t speak for all the older folks, the ones who had been there before too, but he reckoned they felt the same.

 

Overwatch still had the same motives in mind—protect innocents, kick Talon’s ass, keep the world from self-combusting. The roster was a mix of young and old alike, including a _19 year old_ (Granted, Jesse had joined at 17, but his case was a little different). That was where the similarities ended, for the most part.

 

Old Overwatch had a lifetime of good memories, but they were all tainted by the fall. There was no forgetting how Overwatch had succumbed under the pressure, the way you could **_see_** it crumbling towards the end. When Jesse left, he had told himself he didn’t want to get caught up in it. But deep down he knew it was because it hurt to see it all fall apart.

 

New Overwatch.....maybe Jesse was a little biased, but it all felt so much more _hopeful._

 

Overwatch was just Overwatch now. No separate divisions, no Blackwatch. They were their own covert ops, because one of the first things Morrison had said at the first official meeting was that all that “political bullshit” was over. They technically weren’t supposed to exist, but the world needed them. And that was what the world was going to get. So Overwatch ran itself the way it wanted to, instead of falling in line with all the restrictions from before. Less restrictions meant more freedom, and more freedom meant that they could actually help people.

 

A large part of what also made recall Overwatch different were its members.

 

Many of those closest to Jesse had answered the recall. Angela, Lena, Fareeha (who was all grown up now too)....and Captain Amari and Morrison had somehow come back from the dead. That was a _long ass_ story he didn’t feel like getting into, but, to sum it all up—it was complicated.  He had missed the two of them, even though Morrison could be a bit of a pain in the ass. And he was a lot more grumpy than he used to be. But it was still nice to have him and Ana around. Not to mention the other older members, like Reinhardt and Torbjorn. Torbjorn, like Jack, could be pretty grumpy but, hey, at least Reinhardt was still just as excited for literally everything.

 

There were also plenty of new faces, some of them pretty damn young. It was good to have young ones, bouncing all over the place and softening up Morrison. Lucio, Hana, and Brigitte all knew what they had signed up for. They weren’t naive. But there was a youthful hope to them and it gave the Recall the burst of energy it needed to really get back into the swing of things. Jesse downright loved it. Those kids were too goddamn precious, even if they could be a bunch of little shits sometimes. The category of “new” people wasn’t solely reserved to the youngs ones, though.

 

Like Hanzo Shimada. _The_ Hanzo Shimada. Genji’s brother.

 

That had been…. _weird..._ at first. Jesse couldn’t say he had been the most trusting right away, and same went for many of the other folks who had known Genji in Blackwatch. It was a little hard to be accepting of the guy who did _that_ to Genji.

 

Regret weighed heavily on Hanzo’s shoulders, and it was clear to anybody who looked at him. He had answered the Recall because he wanted his brother back, even though he didn’t think he deserved it. Jesse had initially thought so too, but his opinion had changed over time. He understood what it was like trying to find redemption. And now he liked the guy. Hanzo Shimada was not only on the Overwatch roster, but also _officially_ considered a friend, which would have been a **wild** story to tell to his younger self.

 

But the _biggest_ difference between Overwatch then and now was Genji.

 

Genji had been his closest friend in Blackwatch (Scratch that. Closest friend ever, actually), even though it had felt like the cyborg was barely tolerating him sometimes. Genji hadn’t exactly been the most open to the idea of being all social and making friends. He had it more than rough back then, and it had showed. Every line of his body was taut with barely contained rage, save for a few private moments when that rage seemed to abate for just a little while. Looking back on it, he was kind of surprised Genji had even allowed him to refer to him as a “friend”.

 

But over time a slow but steady friendship had developed between them, with a surprising amount of trust. Maybe it was because of how tenacious Jesse had been with the whole “Let’s be friends” thing. Maybe it was because of much time they spent together on the field. Whatever it was, it was nice, for both of them.

 

The connection was still there, after all this time, but...Genji had changed so _much._

 

And Jesse meant that in the best way possible. Every time Jesse looked at him, he could _see_ how much happier Genji was now. Where this was once a heavy weight of rage and self-hatred weighing on his shoulders, everything about Genji was so much _lighter_ now. He had made peace with what happened, with himself, with his body.

 

And it was all thanks to an omnic monk from Nepal: Zenyatta. Jesse didn’t know how to thank him enough for helping Genji  find peace with himself. He had tried multiple times, had tried to express the gratitude the monk obviously deserved, but he just couldn’t find the right words. Zenyatta seemed to understand anyway. Still, Jesse wished he could find a better way to show his appreciation.

 

Genji smiled more often, he _laughed_ more often. He joked around with a new yet vaguely familiar playfulness that Jesse had only seen bits and pieces of before. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t given the occasional smile, or the occasional joke, but Genji had never been so genuinely _happy._ His face never lit up with joy like it did now.

 

Jesse McCree liked Recall Overwatch a lot more.

  


Genji felt the same.

 

Obviously, it was largely because of the newfound lightness he felt in his chest, the way he could look in the mirror and accept what he saw with a smile. Zenyatta had given him something he didn’t realize he could have— happiness. _Freedom._ For the first time in his life, Genji was free. Free from the burden of his past, free from the heaviness that had weighed on his heart.

 

It was breathtaking, being able to live without the furious, hissing tangle that had resided in his chest for so many years. Gratitude didn’t even begin to cover how he felt. It was like he had finally gotten his head above water after drowning in the depths for years and years.

 

The rest of his preference for Recall Overwatch stemmed from what he could do with his inner peace. He could smile, laugh, walk around without feeling disgusted with who he was. And he could stand side by side with Hanzo once again.

 

He was also glad to see Jesse again.

 

Jesse didn’t seem to realize how much he had helped Genji during Blackwatch. Just having a friend he actually _trusted,_ especially after what happened to him, was a milestone of its own. Of course, the cowboy had his own issues back then too; he wouldn’t have been able to help Genji to the extent Zenyatta did. There was no denying the layers upon layers of rage-fueled issues Genji had during Blackwatch, but he had found reprieve in Jesse.

 

At first it was just a slight relief that he would have somebody to watch his back in combat. But slowly Jesse became more than just a team member. He became somebody Genji was inexplicably drawn to. He remembered being confused—the cowboy had such a dark past and yet continued to _truly_ smile. Overtime they became friends. It took a while for Genji to acknowledge Jesse as such, but the fact that he considered somebody close enough to be a friend had been a ginormous step.

 

Jesse McCree was a very dear friend. But sometimes...it felt like _more?_

 

From the start, he had felt _odd_ about Jesse and it had only intensified when they started to seek out each other’s company. It was hard to explain, but it wasn’t a _bad_ feeling, per se. Genji had been such a wreck of frayed ends and emotions back then that he hadn’t been able to decipher it completely. But sometimes it felt as if he was on the verge of something _more._ Whatever it was, he let it slide. Even though he still felt it now.

 

The two of them had found their old routine again. It was like before, but, well, _better._

 

Yeah, Genji liked Recall Overwatch a lot more.

 

\---- ---- ----

 

When Jesse got a message from Genji telling him to “get the hell down to the outdoor practice range”, he hadn’t been sure what to expect.

 

He sure as hell hadn’t expected this.

 

Half of the practice range was covered in….paint? Yeah, that looked like paint. Bright splashes of color were splattered across the ground. And a ton of the training bots. And the walls of the walled section.

 

Lucio and Hana were darting around, aiming at each other with guns Jesse hadn’t seen before. He was a little concerned, until he saw the bright colored “bullet” from one of the guns explode in a splash of paint. Oh, those were _paintball guns._

 

That explained a lot.

 

In the middle of the carnage was a large cardboard box with a paintball company logo plastered on the side (that also explained a lot). Standing next to it were both Shimada brothers. Hanzo looked mildly bewildered, but Genji, on the other hand, had green paint all over his hands. Jesse walked towards them, avoiding the still drying paint on the ground.

 

“Jesse!” Genji shouted as he spotted him coming. He had his helmet off,  revealing all of his face and stylistically tousled black hair. The cyborg was grinning mischievously, beckoning him over with excitement.

 

A soft pang hit Jesse square in the chest at the sight. The way his face would light up with a smile would always make something in Jesse twinge. He had gotten used to how Genji had changed, but even now it was downright amazing to see how _happy_ he was. Genji had only ever  taken his mask off in private during Blackwatch, but now he only wore his helmet when he needed to. Talk about a confidence boost. Newfound inner peace really suited Genji. And damn did he deserve it.

 

“What’s going on here?” Jesse asked, tipping his hat in greeting as he reached the brothers.

 

“We _were_ training.” Hanzo gestured at the box. “Until Hana and Lucio came in with this.”

 

“A fan sent Hana paintball guns.” Genji clarified, “So, naturally, the first thing thing she and Lucio did were come here to play around with them.”

 

 _Paintball guns._ They had gotten paintball guns and the first thing they did was go to the high tech, state of the art, practice range and play around. Jesse laughed. He didn’t know why he found it so funny, but he liked their style. Hell, he probably would’ve done the same thing himself.

 

“The only problem is how this is going to be cleaned up.” Hanzo said, sounding ever-so-slightly bemused as he eyed the mess surrounding them.

 

“That’s a problem for later”.

 

“Eastwood!” Lucio shouted, getting Jesse’s attention. He waved at the cowboy, who waved back.

 

“Watch where you’re going, Lucio.”

 

“I’ll be fine!”

 

Jesse shook his head fondly.

 

“Oh, _and…_ There’s even a one handed model.” Genji rummaged through the box, then pulled out a paintball gun that looked like a cross between a pistol and a revolver. It was, indeed, a one handed model. He eyed it, then pointedly looked at Jesse.

 

“I’m not sure what you think, but,” Genji said slowly, tone lilting with mischievousness. He eyed the gun, then pointedly looked at Jesse. “It kind of looks like Peacekeeper.”

 

He held it out towards Jesse. His message was crystal clear, especially so with the impish quirk of his eyebrow.

 

“Well, if you say so.” Jesse swiped the gun out of Genji’s hand with a grin. After pausing to watch Hana shoot a smiley face onto the wall, he headed to next block of untouched targets.

 

Jesse took some time to examine the gun. It didn’t seem too bad, actually. Nothing actually like Peacekeeper, mind you, but not bad. The weight was pretty good, too. He quickly checked to make sure it was loaded—it was—then raised the gun. He pointed it experimentally, adjusting his grip a bit. Locking onto one unfortunate target, he took aim and fired away.

 

Bright yellow splattered across the target’s head. _Nice._ Headshot.

 

Minutes later, he finally understood the dangers of paintball. It distractingly fun to shoot something and splatter it with bright paint. It was also downright impossible to resist shooting designs, which he found out out after impulsively shooting a star onto the torso of a target.

 

“I wonder if you could use Deadeye with that.” Genji suddenly appeared at his side out of _literally_ nowhere. He jumped in surprise. Jesse was pretty used to people randomly appearing next to him, given that there were two ninjas living on base, but sometimes it caught him off guard. And sometimes it nearly gave him a damn heart attack, like now.

 

He pointedly ignored the way Genji snickered and instead raised his eyebrows mock-skeptically, “You serious?”

 

Genji scoffed theatrically.

 

“Obviously. Your ability isn’t impacted by your weapon, is it?” He hummed, bumping his shoulder against Jesse’s.

 

“Huh.” Jesse said, blinking. He paused, lowering the gun in thought. Great. Now he was genuinely considering it, “Maybe, partner. I’m not sure if it’ll work, though, just cause of how stupid it is.”

 

“It’s only stupid if you make it stupid.” Genji said, very aware that his sentence made no sense, “What if you tried it while training? We could all use paintball guns to make it feel more authentic.”

 

“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.” Jesse said, “Kinda want to do it. But what about you? What would you use?”

 

“A paintball gun. What else? I don’t think they make paintball shuriken.”

 

Jesse laughed.

 

“I dunno, can you even shoot a gun?” He drawled, shifting his weight onto one leg. Genji’s grin widened as he immediately caught onto the unspoken challenge.

 

It was a long standing joke between the two of them that Genji couldn’t use a gun. The cyborg obviously _could,_ but it wasn’t his normal weapon of choice. The fact that he normally used shuriken and katana could make a person wonder if he knew how to use a gun. After bringing that up once in Blackwatch, it had managed to snowball into a running joke.

 

“Oh, really?” Genji cocked an eyebrow, “We’ll see about that. Give me the gun, cowboy.”

 

Tradition stated that Genji had to prove himself, now that Jesse had challenged him. He held out his hand expectantly. After a brief moment of pretending to be skeptic, Jesse handed it over without argument,.

 

Gun in hand, Genji considered simply headshot-ing one a few of the targets. It was simple, and would follow the tradition of the joke. But as he raised the gun, about to do just that, he stopped. He couldn’t help but think, _why not up the ante?_

 

He glanced at Jesse, who was waiting expectantly and giving him an easy grin. Yeah, maybe he’d give the cowboy a surprise.

 

Genji lowered the gun down to his side and began looking around for a more difficult target, something a little more _impressive._ Not finding anything special nearby, he took to scanning farther. He finally found something good when he caught sight of a distant silhouette on the rooftop of the outdoor storage room. Upon closer look, it was an empty bottle, waiting innocently on the roof. After a moment of consideration, Genji deemed it a good challenge. The bottle was pretty far, and it wasn’t a big target either.

 

“Prepare to be impressed.” Genji stated matter of factly, as he turned towards his target.

 

“Really now?”

 

“Of course. Do you see the bottle on the roof of the storage room building?” Genji asked, pointing with the gun.

 

Jesse was a bit confused, but turned to look at the storage room building all the same. Sure enough, he could make out the tiny silhouette of a bottle resting on its roof, a good 30 to 40 feet away. He was just about to ask why it was important, when he heard the sound of the paintball gun going off beside him.

 

The bottle fell over a second later, going down in a burst of bright yellow.

 

Jesse’s eyebrows shot up in genuine surprise. He turned to look at Genji, who had a look of smug satisfaction on his face as he eyed the downed bottle. He lowered the gun and glanced at Jesse.

 

“Impressed?” He asked, grinning impishly as he eyed the cowboy out of the corner of his eye.

 

“I’m swooning.” Jesse drawled with a smile, placing a hand over his heart theatrically.

 

It actually had been a pretty impressive shot. He would’ve been proud to get it himself, and this didn’t seem to be lost on Genji, whose eyes lit up almost immediately. He turned towards Jesse, putting on his best Mr. High-and-Mighty impression.

 

“You better be. I don’t show my skills to just anybody, you know.” Genji chimed teasingly, sauntering closer. Jesse stood his ground.

 

“Really?” He remarked playfully, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back. Genji leaned forward, following the movement, “Well, I’ll say this: That wasn’t bad, Shimada. Not bad at all.”

 

Neither of them seemed to notice they were slipping away from their usual, casual joking around. Or the fact that the distance between them was steadily closing.

 

“ _Just_ ‘not bad’? What happened to swooning?” Genji cocked an eyebrow, “I thought you were impressed.”

 

“I am. But for all I know, that was just a lucky shot, partner.” Jesse said, purposely making his accompanying shrug as fake as possible.

 

“Is that what you think?” Genji smirked, slowly tilting his head. He moved in just a _bit_ more, almost as if he was unaware of it, “That’s cold, Jesse.”

 

A few more inches and their lips would be close enough to brush together. A heavily charged moment passed, and then their arms bumped together, and just like that, the odd spell was broken.

 

The bubble burst, leaving both of them blinking in confusion and staring at the other, who was suddenly rather close. Both of them jumped back, startled by the sudden proximity. The look on Genji’s face could only be described as bewilderment as his face turned slightly red. He stared at Jesse, who was suddenly very aware of the heat rising to his own face. Jesse wordlessly took in the emotions flashing across Genji’s face.

 

He looked confused, but not necessarily in a _bad_ way. Actual _steam_ blew out from vents in his armor, blasting the two of them. Traces of a dopey smile played across his lips, as if he didn’t even know he was smiling. Another second passed and the moment was gone.

 

**_What._ **

 

Jesse had no clue what the fuck was going on. It was a mix between “Huh. That was weird.” and “What the _fuck.”._ After a few seconds of silence, he couldn’t help but snicker at the ridiculousness of it all.

 

And suddenly things were back to normal. Genji shook his head with a fake heavy sigh, throwing a hand up in “despair”.

 

“When will you finally acknowledge my skills with a gun?” Genji bemoaned, tapping the paintball gun against his other palm.

 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Jesse declared with a scoff, “I’ve never seen you touch a gun in my life.”

 

Genji swatted him with the paintball gun.

 

Staring at other people as they were having a conversation was generally considered impolite. But some certain situations called for it. Situations like this one. Hanzo stared at Genji and Jesse with comically wide eyes, trying to process what he had just seen. His mouth had even dropped open out of its own volition.

 

Currently, the two were talking normally. Completely casual, friendly, etc. Nothing to see here. But that wasn’t the case four seconds ago. Four seconds ago, Genji had been slowly but surely crowding against Overwatch’s resident cowboy, who hadn’t moved away in the slightest. Hanzo knew Genji and Jesse were close friends, a result from their time spent together in Blackwatch. Pushing the borders of personal space was a common thing for friendships like that. But something about this felt like a bit more than that.

 

Quite literally every aspect of their body language said that it wasn’t just friendly, teasing banter. Perhaps the “teasing banter” part was right, but the first half...Not to mention how the two seemed to be pushing the line a little bit more each time, edging closer and closer.

 

Despite their years apart, the brothers could still read the other’s tells and signs (though it had taken a while to adjust again). Hanzo couldn’t help but note the _intent_ along the lines of Genji’s body. And much to his rising confusion/shock, he felt as if he recognized it, too. The signs were nearly crystal clear. That, and, Hanzo just... _sensed_ something.

 

If you asked him, it seemed as if Genji and Jesse were **_flirting._ **

 

But that was ridiculous. He shouldn’t jump to such assumptions. On top of that, he was watching from a distance. Chances were, Hanzo had just read the situation incorrectly, right? Right.

 

Though he would admit that his brother and Jesse becoming a couple would make sense.They knew each other well, trusted each other with their lives, had plenty of history... Hanzo immediately abandoned that train of thought—he was making too many assumptions.

 

Lucio and Hana were only a few feet away, so when they began to start feverently exchanging hushed words Hanzo couldn’t help but overhear.

 

“Did you see that?” Lucio asked incredulously. Hana nodded, wide eyed and brows slightly furrowed.

 

“Yeah, yeah, I did. You think….?”

 

Lucio was silent for a brief moment, then shook his head, “Nah, we shouldn’t jump to conclusions.”

 

Hanzo would have agreed, but the little siren going off in the back of his mind made him hesitate. Not to mention the fact that whatever Genji and Jesse had been doing was obvious enough to get the attention of everybody else nearby.

 

Hmm.

 

\---- ---- ----

 

“I do believe we’ve made a mistake.” Zenyatta noted serenely, sounding oddly calm for what he as saying.

 

His voice carried into the comm line, resounding in everybody’s earpieces. Genji couldn’t help but agree, but he wasn’t too worried. After all, that was how all the funnest missions started.

 

Overwatch had caught wind of Talon activity in a nearby town. Naturally, they went to investigate, but it ended up spiraling into an all out brawl stretching multiple blocks. All the civilians had been evacuated from this part of the city by local police, so that was a definite plus. They wouldn’t have to worry about civilians getting injured. Also, they wouldn’t have to worry about somebody yelling at them about collateral damage.

 

Genji flicked his hand outwards, watching with satisfaction as the shuriken landed squarely in the heads of the three omnic hostiles. They sparked and shut down, crumpling to the ground. But right behind them was another Talon agent, aiming a _stupidly_ huge arm cannon straight at him.

 

He had enough time to think ‘ _Oh, shit’,_ before a ray of mist-ice shot past him, freezing the Talon before they could react.

 

“Thank you, Mei.” Genji said into his comm. He turned to look at the scientist, who gave him a cheery thumbs up. And then she went back to smacking the head of a frozen omnic.

 

“Don’t see why you’re so worried, Zen.” Jesse’s pleasant drawl rang through the earpiece, “That’s how all the funnest missions start.”

 

“Funny, I was thinking the _exact_ same thing.” Genji ducked, reflecting a few bullets straight back to startled hostile, “On a side note, perhaps you should get a silencer for Peacekeeper, Jesse.”

 

“That _would_ be a smart decision.” Hanzo agreed. He was positioned near the mouth of an alley, sniping down the hostiles from the large, broken windows. He knocked another arrow and shot down a Talon agent rapidly advancing towards Lena. The pilot smiled up at him, then returned to the fray.

 

“Pfft, no. Peacekeeper ain’t getting a silencer. She’s a loud one.” Jesse shot back, taking out a hostile with a quick swipe of the spur on Peacekeeper’s grip. Apparently it _did_ have some practicality.

 

“A loud one, like you?” Genji responded wryly, “I can hear you a mile away with those spurs.”

 

“That’s funny, coming from somebody who’s silver and neon green. Besides, it’s a _fashion statement._ ”

 

Hanzo jumped down from his perch as the group advanced onwards. The battle was going in their favor—Talon’s forces seemed to be retreating. Part of that went to Hana, who was scattering enemy lines by blasting straight through them in her mech.

 

He was paying attention to the comms in the back of his mind, just in case something important came up. Or he had the opportunity to get in a particularly good quip. But for the most part, he wasn’t closely following the conversation. Aside from the occasional exchange of thanks, it was largely just his brother and Jesse talking, despite the fact that the comms were _supposed_ to be used for team wide, mission-related discussion.

 

And the two were _still_ talking. Hanzo wasn’t listening at all anymore. He had split his mind into two parts, one focused on the fight and one chugging along on his train of thought.

 

It happened just about every mission—Genji and Jesse would end up using the comms to joke around.  Not like anybody minded all that much (they had gotten relatively used to it) but it was a bit odd to continuously hear only those two speaking to each other. Sometimes, it felt as if Hanzo was overhearing a private conversation. Private because their banter was always light-heartedly teasing, personal, and kind of…..

 

Hanzo froze in the middle of nocking an arrow.

 

….. _flirtatious….._

 

He immediately thought back to the paintball incident. The paintball incident was none other than when Hana had brought the box of paintball guns down to the practice range. Nothing conspicuous about that itself, but it happened to overlap with the moment that had made Hanzo slowly start to question the friendship between Genji and Jesse.

 

When Genji had clearly _shown off_ with the cowboy’s choice of weaponry and then possibly _flirted_ with the cowboy, he had been suspicious. But it was just one time, right? Perhaps it was some sort of inside joke. But now, confronted with _this,_ Hanzo couldn’t help but wonder.

 

He tuned back into the conversation on the comms.

 

“—Not all of us are designed for sneaking around.” Jesse scoffed.

 

“But apparently _your spurs_ are designed for being as loud as possible. No, scratch that, _you_ are designed for being as loud as possible.”

 

“ _Excuse_ _**me?**  Rude._ _”_

 

A few of the others listening in on the conversation laughed. Hanzo, on the other hand, saw an opportunity to test his suspicions. He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he’d be going too far. Eventually, he just decided on going through with it. His curiosity was getting the best of him, but he wanted to know if his suspicions were correct.

 

It’d be a sick burn, at least. Hanzo took a silent breath and spoke into the comm.

 

“I didn't think you’d be opposed to Jesse being a ‘loud one’, Genji.” He said, voice carefully unreadable, “I imagine it would make your ego even more inflated than it already is.”

 

A few feet away, Genji came to a complete stop. Heavy silence reigned as the insinuation sunk in. 

 

**“WOW.”**

 

The comms practically exploded.

 

“Oh SHIT!” Lucio whooped loudly over all the laughter.

 

“That’s _inappropriate.”_ Lena chimed, clearly sarcastic. She barely held it together before she too burst out into a fit of giggles. Hanzo noted that Jesse too was laughing, even though he technically was a victim as well.

 

“No mercy here, huh.” Jesse chuckled. Admittedly, part of Hanzo was a bit proud of the insult. But most of him was still quietly listening to the responses, waiting for a certain reaction. When minutes ticked by and he still hadn’t heard it, a siren, much like the one from the paintball incident, went off in his head.

 

Nearby, Zenyatta drifted to a stop to look in the direction of his pupil and Jesse. Many found it a little difficult to read omnics, but Hanzo had adjusted to the point where he could tell that Zenyatta was practically openly staring. The monk slowly cocked his head in a clearly contemplative manner, as if he was considering something. Something about it all made Hanzo wonder if Zenyatta was thinking the same thing as he was.

 

A large part of the joke was based off the assumption that Genji and Jesse were, well,…… **_“involved”._ **

 

Neither of them had denied the prospect of it in any way.

 

\---- ---- ----

 

A few days later, it was movie night.

 

Movie night was always something everybody looked forward to, no matter what _anybody_ said (even Torbjorn liked it, though he’d _never_ admit it). At first, it had been under the guise of a “team bonding activity”, and it was, but everybody knew that wasn’t the real reason for it. Eventually, they just gave up on trying to make it seem professional.  As per tradition, everybody gathered in the largest lounge, and crowded around the TV to watch the chosen movie.

 

Jesse and Genji were sharing a couch, deep in the middle of some stupid game where they tried to steal popcorn out of other’s hand, even though they each had their own bowl.

 

When Hanzo walked in, he automatically glanced at them out of the corner of their eye. He didn’t see anything all that incriminating, so he ignored the suspicions that had been fluttering around his head for the last couple of weeks. But nevertheless, even after he sat down, he couldn't help but glance at the pair every now and then.

 

Lena was making a mad dash back and forth from the kitchen, distributing out bags of popcorn as soon as they finished microwaving. It was Reinhardt’s turn to pick the movie, and he had chosen something that had come out a few years before he was born. According to him, it was a classic.

 

“It was an American movie, but it was very popular, even when I was growing up.” The incredibly tall german said, tone fond and reminiscent, “I remember watching it with my family.”

 

“That’s awful sweet, luv.” Lena chimed, appearing again to hand Winston a bowl of popcorn, “What’s it called?”

 

“Mean Girls.” Reinhardt said, smiling down at the vintage dvd cover.

 

“Oh, I remember that! You showed it to me a few years ago!” Brigitte exclaimed, “I liked it. It was good! If...a bit melodramatic.”

 

“Ah, but that is what makes it so good!”

 

Once everybody had settled in and Lena finally took her seat, Athena dimmed the lights and the movie began. As the film progressed, it was pretty obvious where it got its name from. Mean girls, indeed. It was a teen movie that actually managed to be funny. Even Morrison couldn’t help but snort in amusement when one of the girls, Karen, declared her breasts could tell when it was raining. But Hana couldn’t help but be a little concerned that high school in the early 2000s was that vicious.

 

“This is just a movie. School wasn’t nearly as dramatic.” Reinhardt said. Then he paused thoughtfully. “Mostly.”

 

Halfway through the movie, Hanzo was distracted by movement in the corner of his eye. He turned his head idly in that direction. It was a languid head turn, conducted unthinkingly only because he had been distracted by the movement.

 

What he saw made him pay closer attention.

 

Genji had tossed an arm over the back of the couch, directly behind Jesse. That itself wasn’t too notable; perhaps he was just stretching. But as time passed, his arm moved over the back of the couch and began to inch closer and closer towards Jesse.

 

Hanzo knew that move.

 

He had seen it before, both when particular company came over and on the rare occasion that he’d accompany Genji on his outings. He clearly remembered one such day— Genji had stricken up a conversation with a cute girl on the train down to the city, thrown an arm over the back of her seat, and oh so slowly moved his until it was wrapped around the girl. And it was _not_ a casual, ‘just-friends’ sort of thing.

 

He narrowed his eyes, watching the scene play out on the couch with renewed attentiveness.

 

Oddly enough, Genji didn’t seem fully aware of what he was doing. Both he and Jesse were absorbed with the movie, even whispering comments back and forth. The arm made a final jump, and suddenly Genji had an arm wrapped around the cowboy. Jesse leaned into it impulsively, and Hanzo knew it was impulsive because neither Genji nor Jesse _had realized what just happened._

 

One moment, Genji and Jesse were casually sitting there, and the next they were unknowingly cuddled up on the couch.

 

Hanzo wasn’t the only one to notice. A few feet away was Zenyatta, staring at the two as he hovered cross-legged on a sofa chair. The monk’s head was tilted slightly, in a clearly contemplative way, as his orbs quietly whirled about him. And there were Hana and Lucio, seated on the bean bags. They stared at the cyborg and cowboy currently pressed together, then glanced at each other in wordless communication.

 

They had also noticed how his brother and Jesse appeared to have a “thing” going on between them...but were completely, totally _unaware of it._

 

Hanzo blinked. He returned his attention to the movie.

 

He had a lot to think about.

 

  
\---- ---- ----

 

 

“What’s up?” Hana asked, looking at Hanzo with obvious curiosity. Lucio had the same expression on his face as well, and Zenyatta...well, he didn’t have facial expressions but he was most likely just as curious. The archer had dragged all of them aside, behind one of the outdoor storage rooms in a clear effort to keep the conversation private.  

 

The two humans of the trio before him seemed a bit excited, if only because of the secrecy of it all. Secrecy normally meant gossip, or something like it. Hanzo was above something like gossiping...but he supposed this partially counted as it. But only partially, because he had plans in mind. Plans that  _did_ dive into the personal lives of others, but it was not gossiping. Nope. Not at all.

 

After reflecting on it for a few days, he decided that no, he wasn’t blind and/or reading the situation incorrectly. Genji and Jesse most definitely had feelings for each other, but seemed to be rather unaware of it. And now that he could see it for what it was, the excessive amount of flirting between the two was practically unbearable.

 

Something needed to be done.

 

He mulled over it for a few moments, then decided to cut straight to the chase

 

“I do not know how to say this gently, so I’ll be straightforward with this.” Hanzo took a deep breath, “I believe my brother and Jesse are interested in each other.”

 

The reaction from the other three was spontaneous. Lucio and Hana opened their mouths in a silent excited gasp. Zenyatta was much more calm, except for how the lights on his face brightened significantly.

 

“I think so as well.” Zenyatta hummed, sounding moments away from breaking his eternal state of calm, “I considering asking you about it. Their interactions have tended to become..amorous, but I did not want to jump to conclusions.”

 

“Yeah, what Zen said.” Lucio added, turning his attention to Hanzo, “We didn’t want to assume your brother’s _flirting…_ but is he?”

 

Hanzo paused, thinking, “He is.”

 

Lucio whooped loudly, pumping his fist in the air, “Called it!”

 

“They’re so _obvious._ ” Hana declared, crossing her arms, “But they’re aren’t even doing anything about it!”

 

“It seems to be because either of them are aware of it.” Hanzo said, “They clearly have feeling for each other, but aren’t acting on them because they don’t know it.”

 

“ _Ooooh,_ it’s like _that._ Aww, that’s cute.”

 

“They _would_ be a compatible couple.” Zenyatta noted, “Genji often talked of Jesse during our time at the Shambali.”

 

“I see you’re all supportive of them being together...So I’d like to ask you all a favor, if you’re willing to comply.”

 

“Yeah, sure.” Lucio nodded, perking up inquisitively, “Shoot.”

 

“I don’t wish to be overbearing on their relationship, whatever it may be, but...perhaps they could use a bit of a _nudge?_ ”

 

Hanzo raised an eyebrow, letting the implication sink in. A brief moment of silence passed, before Hana and Lucio gasped loudly. Suddenly, both of them were talking, voices practically a blur with how fast the words were coming out. Zenyatta’s orbs whirled rapidly about him, giving away his delight.

 

“I take it that is a yes.” Hanzo murmured

 

“You’re correct.” Zenyatta said, amusement clear in his tone. Hana put her hands on her hips.

 

“Uh, _hell yeah_ that’s a yes?!”

 

Hanzo shook his head, but didn’t stop the smile from spreading across his face. Kids.

 

“I don’t want to force them into it, or put a strain on their friendship.” Hanzo said, putting down the ground rules, “Whatever we may do, it _cannot_ be aggressive or overbearing.”

 

“An indirect approach.” Zenyatta concluded. Hanzo nodded, “Ah, well, I’m afraid I currently don’t have anything in mind.”

 

“Same here.” Hana sighed, “I’d say we could trick them going on a date, but it would only effective if we _weren’t_ indirect.”

 

Lucio was silent, clearly working his way through an idea. After a few seconds passed, he straightened up quickly, face lit up with a possible plan. The attention shifted to him as he began to animatedly explain his idea.

 

“Ok, ok, I think I got something!” Lucio declared, grinning excitedly, “Hear me out. So it’s probably gonna be a bit expensive, but I can cover that. It’s gonna take a few days to get all the supplies. And we’re probably gonna have to ask Winston for permission. And we’re gonna need Athena in on it. And it’s _hella_ extra, but trust me, it’s going to be _great!”_

Hanzo narrowed his eyes at the DJ.

 

“It needs _permission?”_

 

“Probably, yeah.”

 

“....Tell me.”

 

\---- ---- ----

 

“This kinda looks like checkers.” Jesse said, resting his face on the palm of his hand. Genji half-laughed, half-sighed, as he eyed the cowboy.

 

“It’s called _Renju,_ and it is _not_ checkers….but it does kind of look like it, yes.”

 

They were in the upper commons, seated across from each other with a wooden gridded board resting on the table in between. Genji was trying (keyword: _trying_ ) to teach Jesse Renju, a japanese board game. Jesse kept taking playing pieces off the board and juggling them. And Genji kept trying to reprimand him, but ended up laughing every time. It was a good way to spend an evening.

 

“You know what we should do? We should make up a new game that’s checkers _and_ Renju.”

 

“Renjeckers.”

 

“Exactly.”

 

Just as Genji and Jesse were about to actually start playing, they were interrupted by Athena. Genji threw his hands up at the interruption, but he didn’t actually mean it. The AI was too nice to get genuinely mad at.

 

“Hello, everyone.” Athena chimed. The AI’s voice echoed slightly, meaning that she was speaking to the entire building. Jesse sat up, interest piqued. Building-wide announcements usually meant something big.

 

“A few agents would like your attention. They request you go outside to view the display.”

 

Display?

 

Genji and Jesse exchanged a curious look, then got up. Even if they weren’t curious, it would’ve been a little rude to just not go outside. They thought that was the end of the message, until Athena piped up again. This time, her voice came straight to them from the speaker in the ceiling.

 

“Jesse, Genji, you’re near a staircase leading up to the roof. I’d recommend going up there; the view will be better.”

 

“Oh, sure. Thanks, Athena.” Genji said, tilting his head up towards the ceiling as he spoke. Athena wasn’t located up there, of course, but almost everybody did it. Force of habit, and all that.

 

“You’re welcome.” Was the pleasant response. After exchanging yet another excitedly curious look, Jesse and Genji headed for the nearby door. They climbed up the staircase and exited the rooftop door.

 

Immediately, they were met with the pleasantly cool summer night air. Jesse walked further out onto the roof, spurs jingling and clacking softly with the floor. He scanned the Watchpoint, but couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. It was a gorgeous view, though. A starry night sky extended overheard, leading out to to the horizon and mingling with the distant shiny dark blue of the ocean.

 

“You see anything?” Jesse asked, turning to Genji as the cyborg walked up next to him. Genji shook his head, but was grinning all the same.

 

“Not yet. Maybe it was a prank?”

 

“Why would it—”

 

He was cut off by a far-flung whistling sound. The sound climbed louder as luminous pinpoints of light suddenly shot up from the outskirts of the Watchpoint, leaving behind a trail of sparks as they soared up and up until—

 

The whistling sound peaked into a loud, stunning booms. Fiery sparks whipped against the night sky as the lights bursted into large, brilliant explosions of vibrant colors.

 

Genji looked up at the display with hushed gasp. The colors seared themselves onto his retinas as he tilted his back to take in all of it through wide eyes.

 

“ _Fireworks_.” Jesse murmured softly. He reached up and took off his hat to see better, holding it to his chest as he looked up at the fireworks. Once the initial surprise wore off, they decided to sit down on the rooftop radiator, settling in to watch the show.

 

Fireworks burst across the canvas of stars, lighting up the inky night with radiant green, pink, and blue. They stood there silently, watching the fireworks with the universal childlike wonder that fireworks seemed to inspire in just about everybody.Minutes passed in companionable silence before Jesse turned to look at Genji, about to say something, but stopped in his tracks.

 

Genji eyes were trained on him. Jesse could see the fireworks reflected in his eyes, dancing across the irises. The light of the fireworks wasn’t all that strong over here, but it seemed to brighten the rooftop, shining on the silver metal of Genji’s armor.

 

The distant colors fell across both of their faces, painting Jesse’s features with the gentle light.

Genji’s fingers itched to reach out and tuck back the free-flowing hair framing Jesse’s face, dancing in the breeze. Time seemed to freeze as they both just _looked_ each other.

 

It was just the two of them up there.

 

And Jesse was painfully aware of how _intimate_ this suddenly felt. But..it wasn’t bad. He liked it, actually. It was peaceful, yet lively at the same time. It felt like the life he had wanted in his youth. The life he had gotten, lost, then gotten back again. He didn’t want to lose it ever again.

 

Why did Genji look so starstruck?

 

Seconds or _minutes_ or _hours_ —it could have been any of those— passed like that, with Jesse and Genji just looking at each other. Every ounce of air had left Jesse’s lungs, floating off into the night, making him feel as if he was soaring too. Something ran along his spine, lighting up his body with warmth. It felt familiar, somehow. Like putting on a favorite, old and worn jacket, or rereading a book you read years ago.

 

A tender feeling creeped in, making it feel as if some sort of line was being crossed.

 

It also felt new. Like there was finally something _more._

 

And Genji felt as if that _more_ had always been there. He just hadn’t been ready for it. But he felt ready, now. He wanted it, wanted to reach out and embrace the tingling across his face, the feeling sending sparks through his mind.

 

They were closer now. Leaning in, closer, closer—

 

A particularly loud firework startled them and they froze. They leaned back in surprise, staring at each other with wide eyes.

 

The moment was over, but the feeling was still there.

 

\---- ---- ----

 

“Oh my **_GOD!_ ** ” Hana shouted, grasping the sides of her face, “We were so close!”

 

“They were going to kiss!” Lucio shouted, throwing his hands up. Zenyatta chuckled at the dramatic display.

 

Hanzo was still focused the two lone figures up on the roof. It really _had_ seemed like Genji and Jesse were going to kiss. But as he looked up at thm, he knew he had seen more than that. He had seen the way they looked at each other, the way they were _still_ looking at each other. And even though they weren’t leaning in anymore, they were seated closer. Even from here, he could read the barely contained, starstruck giddiness in Genji’s body, and the way Jesse seemed to be fighting back the impulse to lean against the cyborg.

 

What a pair of lovebirds.

 

“It’s fine.” Hanzo murmured, a smile slowly spreading across his face, “We have done more than enough.”

 

\---- ---- ----

 

Jesse cleared his throat and glanced askance almost awkwardly. Yet he was still grinning, flustered and confused and so stupidly happy. Genji mirrored the smile, high off the nervous but excited tingling in his body.

 

“Who would have thought?” He said after a brief pause. He leaned back, eying the vibrant red and green sparks expanding across the sky above, “Fireworks this big on base?”

 

“I wonder who convinced Winston to let them do it. Probably took a whole lot of bargaining.” Jesse chuckled at the thought, “Then again, Winston’s a big old softie.”

 

Genji nodded, laughing, “That he is.”

 

The conversation lulled comfortably. They continued watching the fireworks in amiable silence—except _maybe_ they just happened to be sitting a little closer together now. It was peaceful and perfect and everything they never expected but always wanted.

 

“Just like new times.” Jesse said softly, voice lilting with amusement. Genji turned towards him and quirked an eyebrow.

 

“Isn’t the saying ‘Just like old times’?” The cyborg teased.

 

“Yeah, but it’s ‘new times’ now.,” Jesse laughed, shaking his head, “Stuff like this is a Recall thing.”

 

“That is true. Overwatch now is familiar, but...different.” Genji murmured, “ I like it.”

 

“Me too.”

 

The two exchanged a happy, if slightly flustered, smile. If their hands just _happened_ to brush against each other, neither said a word about it. Moments passed, and then, slowly, their hands intertwined.

 

Genji beamed up at the fireworks, warmth blossoming in his chest.

 

“Just like new times.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a kudos/comment if you enjoyed! Feedback is always more than appreciated.
> 
> Also on [tumblr](https://regret-dot-jpg.tumblr.com/post/176777282017/head-over-heels-and-we-dont-even-know-it)! Like it? Reblog it.


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